Learning Resources

Learning Resources for Beckley Furnace

Beckley Furnace is an important educational resource. In its place as the centerpiece of Housatonic Heritage’s Iron Heritage Trail, of course it represents a logical starting point for those learning about the history of iron and the history of the Upper Housatonic Valley. However, it also represents an important resource for teachers!

Here are the ways that Beckley Furnace can serve as an educational resource:

–As a place for an informal visit. There’s nothing quite like putting your feet on the ground at an historically important location to get the feel of it. Individual visits, and visits by families and informal groups, can occur as convenient to the visitor. Check the Google map for directions how to get here. The grounds are open 365 days a year, and there’s abundant signage to explain much of what the visitor will see. We have highly knowledgeable docents/guides on site Summer Saturdays, from 10 AM until 2 PM. No reservation is needed, and there is no charge.

–As a place for a group visit. We are glad to set up group visits — and it really doesn’t matter what kind of a group it is! We’re visited every year by school groups, and during the summer by summer programs. We are included in a course for teachers for which continuing education credit is awarded. We are visited by organized groups of leaf peepers, and at least one annual motorcycle tour. With some notice, we can usually tailor a program to your group and its interests. Subject to availability of our board member/docents, we can address whatever topics you are interested in from several viewpoints. Check our page about student and class visits for more information!

–Via this website. We’re structuring this website to serve as a resource for visitors of all kinds. For those who cannot visit, we offer lots of informaton about Beckley Furnace and the historic iron industry of the Upper Housatonic Valley. Our emphasis on Questions and Answers supports this orientation.

–Via references. We’ve identified resources in several media that offer material for further learning. See our References page for material in several media about Beckley Furnace and the iron industry

–Via archival material. While the repositories of archival material about the iron industry of this area do exist, tracking them down can be difficult. We hope to make that a bit easier. See our page about archives.